Vegan Cupcakes

This weekend there is a major celebration happening. My sister is celebrating her 26th birthday.
I know it seems silly to celebrate this occasion as a major milestone but you only get to celebrate your birthday once a year; and for Wendy, I like to pull out all the stops!
Alex, Molly and I bought her a really stellar birthday gift (which she opened today so she could use it at her party on Saturday), and this Friday, I'm making her vegan gluten free cupcakes. She's not a vegan but some of her party guests are so I volunteered my services in her honour.

I like vegan baking. Every time I find a vegan recipe, I'm always reminded of my feeling of scientific discovery. "Can I really make something delicious (and texture appropriate) using no products from animals?" The answer is sometimes.

Like anything, if you leave out or substitute key ingredients, you left with a product that is passable but not always the same as the original. Although this seems like a far-fetched analogy, I'm feeling this way about my life these days. I have all the key ingredients for happiness; but I've made a few substitutions along the way and I don't think that my end product is what I was expecting.

I have always been an approval seeker. As much as I want to deny it, I can't. I inherited this ridiculous trait from my mother. Her condition isn't exactly the same as mine but we are very similar in our general outlook towards others. To make a long story short, I'll cut to the point: I have made many decisions in the last fifteen years of my life to appease the people around me to the point where I think I've missed out on taking the opportunity to be selfish.
*Note: By 'Selfish' I mean that I have never lived on my own or gone anywhere alone. I've never been alone or only looked after myself.

Don't get me wrong, I don't regret my life with Alex for a second. What I'm trying to say is that I'm feeling like now that I have Molly and Alex and the house, I'm mourning the opportunity for me to ever be just ME.
Sure, many can argue that I've had my whole life to take this opportunity and that I have tried (i.e. my life discovering trip to New Zealand two years ago), but it isn't the same. Coming back to it all meant that my experiences were never alone.
Knowing this, will help me manage and overcome.

Can I be on a journey towards happiness with 'vegan' ingredients? Vegans would argue, yes.
I've managed to cut gluten and make things that are delicious. Knowing the chemistry of baking helps me understand what I can augment to make something yummy while keeping tummies and dietary restrictions happy.
I think that realizing where my unhappiness stems from can help me on the journey to make things better. Also, if I really blow it, I may have to crack a few eggs along the way to help me out, but for the vegans, I'll keep to flax meal and applesauce as your finished product. :)